Pad for pressing shoes



Nov. 5, 1935. s. .1. FINN PAD FOR PRESSING SHOES Filed Jan. 15, 1932 AWE/v 70 Patented Nov. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application January 15, 1932, Serial No. 586,878

13 Claims.

This invention relates to pads for pressing shoes and is illustrated as embodied in a pad box for use in cement-attaching soles to shoes with the aid of a machine such as that shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,897,105, granted February 14, 1933, upon the application of Milton H. Ballard.

The pad boxes used in connection with sole attaching machines such as that shown in the Ballard patent each comprise a rigid rectangular frame with a movable bottom and an open top.

A hollow deformable bag, conveniently made of rubber and filled with water, fits into this box and has its upper surface formed to facilitate the operation of pressing a cemented sole into close contact with a shoe. In particular, when viewed from the side, its contour generally resembles the profile of a shoe bottom. As explained in the Ballard patent, the pad box is placed on the sole attaching machine, a cemented sole and a shoe are placed in gaged position on it, a preliminary pressure is applied to the shoe to set it firmly in position on the pad box, and then an operative pressure is applied by raising the movable bottom of the pad box to force the sole and shoe into close adhesive contact. The operative pressure is transmitted through the water-filled pad which tends somewhat to bulge upwardly around the shoe.

Under some conditions, as when the longitudinal profile of the unstressed pad is not especially close in correspondence to that of the shoe bottom, difficulty is experienced ineffecting sufficient pressure at all parts of the sole to insure a satisfactory degree of adhesion between the shoe and sole. Such variation, lengthwise of the shoe, of the operative pressure may cause inferior work; or, if satisfactory adhesion is obtained, it may be only by the use of excessive pressure.

It is, accordingly, a principal object of the present invention to provide a pressing pad for use in sole attaching machines which shall have longitudinal flexibility superior to that possessed by such pads heretofore used, without sacrificing the advantages of the metallic supporting or reinforcing plates which it has been found advantageous to place on the shoe pressing surface of the pad, around the shoe, to prevent undue bulging of the pressing surface of the pad under the operative pressure.

Accordingly, I have provided the pressing surface of the pad with a series of reinforcing members arranged along each side of the pad, such members being carried by the pad itself instead of by the metallic box which embraces it. Thus a quasi hinge movement is permitted in the pressing surface of the pad at a number of points along its length, permitting it to assume the shape of the shoe bottom more accurately than has been the case with prior constructions.

Advantageously these members are formed as clips of spring metal arranged to embrace the edge of the pad and having plates contacting with 15 the upper and lower surfaces of the pad. The successive sections of the pad which are embraced by these clips in order are thus permitted to bend to a degree on each other and thus substan-' tially to aline the pressing surface of the pad with the profile of the shoe bottom. While the clips may thus move up or down individually with the pad and relatively to the box in which the pad is contained, the reinforcing effect of that plate of each clip which lies on the pressing face of the pad is not interfered with.

These and other features of the invention comprising certain combinations and arrangements of parts will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a pad box and pad embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line Il.IIII of Fig. 1.

The illustrated pad box comprises a metallic frame 10, with a bottom l2 hinged to the frame at M. The right-hand end of the bottom is supported by a cam roll resting upon a cam l6 actuated by a handle 18 to hold the bottom in raised 40 position when operative pressure is applied to a shoe by raising the bottom, as explained in the Ballard patent referred to.

The box In, whose top is open, is substantially filled with a pad 20 which, as shown, is a rubber bag filled with water. The upper surface of the pad 28, as shown in Fig. 1, has a longitudinal profile corresponding to a degree to that of a sole or bottom of a shoe 2| tobe treated on the pad. In order to prevent undue distortion or displacement of the pad at its ends, these ends are covered by plates 22, 24, the former of which is secured to the box In by screws 26. This plate 22 is recessed to the approximate shape of a heel end. The other plate 24 is slidably mounted on the top edges of the box [0 and is adjustable in and out by means of a tongue 28. It slides beneath a plate 30, fastened to the box I D by screws 32. It is also recessed at its inner end as shown.

The structure so far described is well known. Novel reinforcing or supporting members characteristic of the present invention will now be described.

Such members are shown at 34, 3B, 38, 40, 42. Each of these members is formed as a U-shaped clip made of spring metal and is placed inside the box ID with the bight or bar 44 of the U resting between the side of the box and the pad 20 and with the legs 46, 48 of the U lying above and below the pad, respectively. The lower legs 48 of the'members 34-42 are all substantially alike, but their bights and upper legs are shaped so as to conform generally tothe shape of the upper surface of the pad 2|], as shown in Fig. 1, and the ends of the upper legs are shaped to form a generally sole-like contour, as shown in Fig. 2. As also shown in Fig. 1, the edges of the bights are curved so that each of the reinforcing members contacts with each of its neighbors at only one point 50, thus permitting these members to rock relatively to each other 'thereby facilitating the lengthwise flexing of the pad and enabling it to conform substantially to the longitudinal pro-file of the shoe bottom. The end members 34, 42 are shown with outwardly bent ears 52 resting on the top edge of the box. These ears, contacting with the plates 22 and 38, prevent displacement of the series of clips. The upper legs of the two members 34 lie preferably, but not necessarily, above the plate 24.

When pressure is applied to a shoe by raising the bottom I2 the members 34-42 confine the edges of the pad 29 around the sides of the shoe 2|, and prevent undue distortion or bulging of the pad in these localities, while permitting the pad to bend longitudinally with considerable freedom.

The lower legs 48 of the reinforcing members do not engage the bottom l2, in the illustrated box.

Having describedmy invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination with a distortable pad having a sole-receiving surface for pressing a sole on a shoe bottom, a series of reinforcing memberslcarried by the pad and arranged along an edge thereof parallel to the length of .ashoe on the pad, said members having portions lying on the sole-receiving surface of the pad, and means engaging the pad for preventing heightwise movement of the members.

2. In combination with a distortable pad for pressing a sole on a shoe bottom, a-series of reinforcing members arranged along an edge thereof parallel to the length of a shoe on the pad, said members having portions extending underneath the pad and having portions lying on the solereceiving surface of the pad, said portions having their ends contoured to correspond generally with the outline of the sole of the shoe, and a box enclosing the pad and members, said box preventing outward movement of the members relatively to the pad.

cement-attaching soles to shoe bottoms, a series of members each formed substantially in U- shape, said members being located in a row along the side of the pad and each having one leg located under the pad and the other leg located above the pad, and a box enclosing said pad and members.

4. In combination with a distortable pad for pressing a shoe, a series of members formed in U-shape, said members being located in a row along the side of the pad and each having one leg located under the pad and the other leg located above the pad, the central portion of each of the Us being convex toward its neighbors, whereby each said member may have a movement of rotation on its neighbors.

5. In combination with a distortable pad for pressing a sole on a shoe bottom, a series of U-shaped supporting members located in succession along the side of the pad and each having one leg located under the pad and the other leg located above the pad, the ends of the upper legs of the members being contoured to correspond to the contour of a sole on the pad, and a box enclosing the bottom, sides and ends of the pad.

6. In combination with a distortable pad for pressing a shoe sole on a shoe bottom, a reinforcing member formed as a U-shaped clip having one leg of the U located below the pad and the other leg located above the pad, and a box enclosing said pad and member and having a wall extending heightwise of the pad to permit heightwise movement of the pad and member relatively to the box.

7. In combination with a distortable pad for pressing a shoe, a reinforcing member formed as a'U-shaped clip having one leg of the U located below the pad and the other leg located above the pad, the upper leg of the member having a backwardly bent lip arranged to rest on the edge of a box which embraces the pad.

8. In combination with a distortable pad for cement-attaching soles to shoe bottoms, a reinforcing member carried by the pad and having a portion extending over the edge of the sole pressing surface of the pad and a portion extending under the bottom surface of the pad.

9. In combination with a distortable pad for pressing a sole on a shoe bottom, a reinforcing member having a portion underlying the pad and a portion extending over the edge of the sole-receiving surface of the pad, said portion having its edge shaped to correspond approximately to the outline of the adjacent portion of 5 bottom surfaces of the pad.

11. The combination of a distortable pad for pressing a shoe bottom, means enclosing the sides and bottom of the pad, and reinforcing members engaging but unattached to the enclosing means and having portions engaging the top and bottom faces of the pad, said members being adapted to slide heightwise of the. pad in contact with the enclosing means.

12. In combination with a distortable pad for cement attaching soles to shoe bottoms, a series of reinforcing members arranged along the edge thereof parallel to the length of the pad, each of said members having a portion lying on the 75' sole-receiving surface of the pad, and a portion lying on the surface of the pad opposite the solereceiving surface, each of said portions being separated from its neighbor to permit longitudinal flexing oi the pad.

13, In combination with a distortable pad for pressing a shoe bottom, a reinforcing member having a portion extending over the edge of the surface of the shoe bottom pressing pad, said 10 portion having its edge shaped to correspond approximately to the outline of the adjacent portion of the shoe sole, said member having a second portion underlying the pad and acting to maintain the first portion in contact with the pad, and a box enclosing the pad and having a vertical wall engaging said member to prevent outward movement of the member relatively to the pad and to permit vertical movement of the member relatively to the box.

SIDNEY J. FINN. 

